EDITORS

About this guild

"Words, spoken and written, not only indicate whether a person is educated, cultured, kind or venal, they also demonstrate if thoughts are ordered and cognition is intact or impaired. The choice of words and their arrangement are used by physicians and other health experts to evaluate emotional as well as organic pathologies.

Throughout history words have had as much power as the sword. Words shape ideas and give them form; our ideas shape our deeds and give them meaning. Over two hundred years ago Edmund Burke wrote that words are an expression of our passions and have more power than any other art form. He believed words are the most powerful force on earth because they communicate ideas more effectively than any other form of expression.

Words have always been the kindling and the continued energy that fuel our actions. Revolutions have begun with words, men have been stirred to battle by words, and dictators have manipulated whole countries by words, creating the vilest justifications for the annihilation of millions. Words give testimony and sway juries and send people to their deaths."

INTERESTS

Liv Torc's poem for Campfire : Billions of Equinoxes

Somerset-based poet Liv Torc delighted Campfirers with her poem, written on the fly as the day progressed. She took themes from the day's discussions to deliver the afternoon's closing shot

She posted on another social media channel :

"I’ve just had a mind blowing extraordinary day at a Campfire Convention ‘Reimagining our World’ conference in Union Chapel, Islington. I’ve learned so much and have been saturated in the wisdom of good people doing good work in the world.... amidst all this brilliance it was my job to write a poem about the day and the people and perform it at the end.... which is a little pressured but also a great privilege. Here it is for the interested....

Campfire Convention : Reimagining our World

Billions of Equinoxes

The people are here, we are all here,
fussing around the edges,
shuffling to the fire, sitting with great grunts on smouldering logs, kicking our heels in the spitting flames
We are singing in a circle
face to face
all equal under the sun.

We are names, palms extended,
touching fingers,
swimming against the plug hole,
nodding like puffy pigeons
at the wisdom of each other’s words....
we are flying home with treasure tied tightly to our toes

We are better than our divisions
Turning too
not on
or from
each other
shrugging off the coats of our grandfathers
pulling on our wellies.

We are poetry with paisley cuffs
and dirty fingernails
farmers of compassion
with eyes like tomatoes and a glut of cauliflowers in the shed.

We are taking back our land
we are unmaking our bed
sculpting flat packed democracy with pipe cleaners, warm quiche and shades of red.

Upturning all the stickle-bricks, Lego and fuzzy felt and moving the broken pieces with our minds

We are genius,
empowered puppets with broken strings
using digital daring to paint forests in fertile wastelands

We are the islands in the cracking ice
Californian wildfire in the clouds
sailing the storm surge
into something strange and new

We are the stories of our children
A campfire burning
Warriors of words